Image forming apparatus which controls image forming conditions for a recording material that is wider than standard-size recording material based on input size information

Abstract

The present invention concerns an image-forming apparatus for forming an image on a recording material, an area of which is wider than that of a standard fixed-form size having a predetermined fixed-form size, based on an original image recorded on a document. The image-forming apparatus includes a plurality of recording material storing devices in each of which the recording material can be stored; an input section to establish information in regard to a size of the recording material stored in one of the recording material storing devices, as setting information corresponding to each of the recording material storing devices; a memory section to store the setting information corresponding to each of the recording material storing devices; and a control section to determine controlling conditions based on the setting information and to control operations of the image-forming apparatus based on the controlling conditions; wherein the setting information include the standard fixed-form size and longitudinal and lateral lengths of the recording material.

1. An image-forming apparatus for forming an image on a wide recording material, which is wider than a corresponding standard fixed-form size recording material having a predetermined fixed-form size, based on an original image recorded on a document, said apparatus comprising:
 a plurality of recording material storing units, each of which is adapted to store a type of recording material; 
 an input section for inputting information regarding a size of said types of recording material stored in said recording material storing units as setting information corresponding respectively to said recording material storing units; 
 a memory section to store said setting information corresponding to each of said recording material storing units; and 
 a control section to determine controlling conditions based on said setting information and to control operations of said image-forming apparatus based on said controlling conditions; 
 wherein said setting information corresponding to the wide recording material includes said predetermined fixed-form size of said corresponding standard fixed-form size recording material that is narrower than the wide recording material and longitudinal and lateral lengths of said wide recording material; 
 wherein inputting the setting information corresponding to the wide recording material includes a first step of inputting said predetermined fixed-form size of said corresponding standard fixed-form size recording material into said input section, and a second step of inputting said longitudinal and lateral lengths of said wide recording material into said input section; and 
 wherein, when said longitudinal and lateral lengths inputted at said second step are shorter than longitudinal and lateral lengths of said standard fixed-form size recording material inputted at said first step, said input section rejects the inputting operation of said longitudinal and lateral lengths. 
 
   
   
     2. The image-forming apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein said input section establishes the types of said recording material as said setting information corresponding respectively to said recording material storing units. 
   
   
     3. The image-forming apparatus of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a displaying section to display said setting information in a manner such that each item of said setting information clearly corresponds to the corresponding one of said recording material storing units. 
 
   
   
     4. The image-forming apparatus of  claim 3 , wherein said displaying section displays information in regard to said predetermined fixed form size of said standard fixed-form size recording material and information of size larger than said predetermined fixed-form size. 
   
   
     5. The image-forming apparatus according to  claim 1 , further comprising:
 an automatic magnification selecting section to automatically determine a magnification factor utilized for forming said image on said wide recording material, based on (i) said predetermined fixed form size of said standard fixed-form size recording material corresponding to said wide recording material and (ii) a size of said document, with respect to each dimension of said document. 
 
   
   
     6. The image-forming apparatus of  claim 5 , wherein said input section establishes the types of said recording material as said setting information corresponding respectively to said recording material storing units. 
   
   
     7. The image-forming apparatus according to  claim 1 , further comprising:
 an automatic storing unit switching section to automatically switch a feeding path of said recording material from a current recording material storing unit to another feeding path from another recording material storing unit that stores a same type of recording material as said current recording material storing unit, when said current recording material storing unit is emptied during consecutive image-forming operations for said same type of recording material; 
 wherein when said recording material is said wide recording material, it is determined that said another recording material storing unit stores said same type of recording material based on said predetermined fixed-form size of said corresponding standard fixed-form size recording Material and said longitudinal and lateral lengths of said wide recording material. 
 
   
   
     8. The image-forming apparatus of  claim 7 , wherein said input section establishes the types of said recording material as said setting information corresponding respectively to said recording material storing units. 
   
   
     9. An image-forming apparatus for forming an image on a wide recording material, which is wider than a corresponding standard fixed-form size recording material having a predetermined fixed-form size, based on an original image recorded on a document, said apparatus comprising:
 a plurality of recording material storing units, each of which is adapted to store a type of recording material; 
 an input section for inputting information regarding a size of said types of recording material stored in said recording material storing units as setting information corresponding respectively to said recording material storing units; 
 a memory section to store said setting information corresponding to each of said recording material storing units; and 
 a control section to determine conveyance controlling conditions, for determining a conveyance mode of said types of recording material fed from said recording material storing units, based on the corresponding setting information, and to control operations of said image-forming apparatus based on said determined conveyance controlling conditions; 
 wherein said setting information corresponding to the wide recording material includes said predetermined fixed-form size of said corresponding standard fixed-form size recording material that is narrower than the wide recording material and longitudinal and lateral lengths of said wide recording material, and said conveyance controlling conditions for the wide recording material are determined based on said longitudinal and lateral lengths of said wide recording material; 
 wherein inputting the setting information corresponding to the wide recording material includes a first step of inputting said predetermined fixed-form size of said corresponding standard fixed-form size recording material into said input section, and a second step of inputting said longitudinal and lateral lengths of said wide recording material into said input section; and 
 wherein, when said longitudinal and lateral lengths inputted at said second step are shorter than longitudinal and lateral lengths of said standard fixed-form size recording material inputted at said first step, said input section rejects the inputting operation of said longitudinal and lateral lengths. 
 
   
   
     10. The image-forming apparatus of  claim 9 , wherein said input section establishes the types of said recording material as said setting information corresponding respectively to said recording material storing devices. 
   
   
     11. The image-forming apparatus of  claim 9 , wherein said control section calculates an approximate fixed-form size corresponding to the wide recording material such that longitudinal and lateral lengths of the approximate fixed-form size are approximate to, and do not exceed, said longitudinal and lateral lengths of the wide recording material, and said control section calculates said conveyance controlling conditions for the wide recording material based on conveyance controlling conditions corresponding to said approximate fixed-form size. 
   
   
     12. The image-forming apparatus of  claim 11 , wherein said conveyance controlling conditions corresponding to said approximate fixed-form size are given in advance. 
   
   
     13. The image-forming apparatus of  claim 11 , wherein said approximate fixed-form size is separately determined with respect to each of longitudinal and lateral directions. 
   
   
     14. The image-forming apparatus of  claim 11 , wherein said control section compares said predetermined fixed-form size of said standard fixed-form size recording material with a most approximate fixed-form size, having longitudinal and lateral lengths that are most approximate to, and do not exceed, said longitudinal and lateral lengths of the wide recording material, and
 wherein said control section determines said predetermined fixed-form size of said standard fixed-form size recording material as said approximate fixed-form size when said predetermined fixed-form size of said standard fixed-form size recording material is equal to said most approximate fixed-form size, and determines said most approximate fixed-form size as said approximate fixed-form size when said predetermined fixed-form size of said standard fixed-form size recording material is smaller than said most approximate fixed-form size. 
 
   
   
     15. An image-forming apparatus, for forming an image on a wide recording material, which is wider than a corresponding standard fixed-form size recording material having a predetermined fixed-form size, based on an original image recorded on a document, said apparatus comprising:
 a plurality of recording material storing units, each of which is adapted to store a type of recording material; 
 an input section for inputting information regarding a size of said types of recording material stored in said recording material storing units as setting information corresponding respectively to said recording material storing units; 
 a memory section to store said setting information corresponding to each of said recording material storing units; and 
 a control section to determine conveyance controlling conditions, for determining a conveyance mode of said types of recording material fed from said recording material storing units, based on the corresponding setting information, and to control operations of said image-forming apparatus based on said determined conveyance controlling conditions; 
 wherein said setting information corresponding to the wide recording material includes said predetermined fixed-form size of said corresponding standard fixed-form size recording material that is narrower than the wide recording material and longitudinal and lateral lengths of said wide recording material, and said conveyance controlling conditions for the wide recording material are determined based on said longitudinal and lateral lengths of said wide recording material; 
 wherein said control section calculates an approximate fixed-form size corresponding to the wide recording material such that longitudinal and lateral lengths of the approximate fixed-form size are approximate to, and do not exceed, said longitudinal and lateral lengths of the wide recording material, and said control section calculates said conveyance controlling conditions for the wide recording material based on conveyance controlling conditions corresponding to said approximate fixed-form size; and 
 wherein said control section calculates said conveyance controlling conditions for the wide recording material based on difference values between the longitudinal and lateral lengths of said wide recording material and the longitudinal and lateral lengths of said approximate fixed-form size in longitudinal and lateral directions, respectively. 
 
   
   
     16. The image-forming apparatus of  claim 15 , wherein said control section calculates said conveyance controlling conditions for the wide recording material by compensatively adding said difference values to said conveyance controlling conditions corresponding to said approximate fixed-form size. 
   
   
     17. The image-forming apparatus of  claim 16 , wherein said control section calculates said conveyance controlling conditions in respect to a PPM interval control by utilizing said difference values in said longitudinal direction. 
   
   
     18. The image-forming apparatus of  claim 16 , wherein said control section calculates said conveyance controlling conditions in respect to an ADU circulation control by utilizing said difference values in said longitudinal direction. 
   
   
     19. The image-forming apparatus of  claim 16 , wherein said control section calculates said conveyance controlling conditions in respect to a controlling operation for detecting a positional deviation of said recording material by utilizing said difference values in said lateral direction.